


Can You Hear Me Now?

by CodenameArtemis



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Mentor/Protégé, Mother-Daughter Relationship, POV Multiple, Protective Melinda May, Protective Phil Coulson, Skye | Daisy Johnson Feels, Skye | Daisy Johnson Needs a Hug, Skye | Daisy Johnson-centric, Team as Family, Unconventional Families
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:47:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25996225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CodenameArtemis/pseuds/CodenameArtemis
Summary: It's been 6 months since Daisy walked out of SHIELD and never came back, instead taking up the life of a vigilante and hunting down Watchdogs.A skim with death and a public broadcasting causes a little bit of a misunderstanding that leads to a reconnection with two people who still mean a hell of a lot to Daisy.
Relationships: Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson & Skye | Daisy Johnson
Comments: 5
Kudos: 145





	Can You Hear Me Now?

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place in the beginning of season 4 after Daisy meets Robbie but before anything else major happens. 
> 
> Basically, another excuse to have some Philindaisy feels because I miss them already.
> 
> I own nothing. Please enjoy.

Simmons was the first to hear the news. The mug of herbal tea shattered into fragmented pieces on the floor of the kitchen after her grip went slack. She practically sprinted over to the television screen that was scrolling national and local news. The screen was rolling big block letters across the bottom half – BREAKING NEWS: VIGILANTE QUAKE KILLED IN WAREHOUSE EXPLOSION. 

Her insides turned to ice. “Oh my God... _Daisy_...” She was running a million scenarios in her head about how it could have been possible. How it couldn’t be true. Daisy wasn’t dead. She couldn’t be. It was impossible.

She took a deep shuddering breath. Simmons needed May. She needed to get Agent May right now. And she needed Fitz. They would know what to do. There had to be something they could do. Some way to prove this was all some sort of cruel joke. Her best friend wasn’t dead. No. Just no. She refused to accept it. 

This time she did sprint all the way to the training room where May was in the middle of showing the newer agents how to get out of certain submission holds. “Agent May!” Everyone in the room turned to look at her. 

Simmons was trying to calm her breathing, eyes flickering to all the gazes locked on her. She knew she must look quite a sight, clothes rumpled, face pale and sweaty. “Agent May, I must speak with you immediately. It’s-it’s an emergency.” 

May gave a brief nod of dismissal to the agents circled around her. “That’s enough for one day, hit the showers everyone.” They dispersed quickly in the direction of the locker rooms, leaving May and Simmons standing alone on the mats. May snatched a towel off one of the nearby benches and dabbed her face with it and slung in over her shoulder, then perched her hands on her hips. 

“Jemma, what is it?” May asked, her voice softer than normal as she noticed the obvious distress in the younger woman’s eyes. Something was very wrong. 

Simmons almost broke down completely at the sound of her first name. “I – uh – the news... _Oh God, May_. I don’t know if I can even say this.” The biochemist covered her mouth with a trembling hand, trying feebly to compose herself. 

May’s back stiffened and her lips thinned. “Is it Coulson and Mack? Did something happen?” 

Simmons shook her head, mouth quivering. “I saw on the news – they were saying an anti-Inhuman group killed Daisy – and I don’t - I can’t... That can’t be right! It must be a mistake. It has to be.” 

A bottomless pit formed in May’s stomach and she visibly flinched away from the words on pure instinct. “ _What?_ " She demanded around a deepening scowl. 

__

Simmons went and cut on the television that was hanging on the wall by the lockers. She changed the channel to the news station that was covering the scene and immediately felt nauseous at what was shown. There were firefighters bustling about the scene, working to put out the fire that swirled around what was left of an abandoned warehouse. Most of the building was a pile of burnt rubble and dust. Police Officers were securing the area, questioning any witnesses and keeping bystanders a safe distance away. 

__

The news cast kept playing the video of Quake fighting off men with automatic weapons and dog masks covering their faces. May and Simmons watched in rising horror as they corralled Daisy into the warehouse by force. 3-4 seconds passed and then the building blew up, erupting into ginormous flames that most could not have survived. They both knew that there was a slim to none chance that Daisy had the time to get out. 

__

The fire station chief was being interviewed and he was explaining how so far, they’d found several bodies burned down to the bone, and one of Quake’s gauntlets that had mostly melted into a chunk of metal. They were estimating the possibility of at least one of the bodies being the infamous rogue vigilante Quake, but without DNA to confirm they could only suspect. 

__

Simmons turned away, choking on a sob. “May, tell me this can’t be true. Daisy can’t be dead.” 

__

May pulled her fiercely into an unexpected hug, clutching at her. “I don’t want to believe it either. We’ll go down there and investigate for ourselves. I’ll call Coulson and Mack back to base. We will all go.” 

__

Simmons wiped at her eyes. “What about Director Mace?” 

__

“He can court martial us. Pull our badges. I really don’t give a damn. He’s not going to stop us.” May immediately went and pulled her cell phone out of her gym bag and dialed Coulson’s number, dread swirling as she thought about what this would do to him. This would break him just as it was surely breaking her. 

__

Simmons didn’t want to overhear this conversation with Coulson. “I’ll go get Fitz. I’m not going without him.” She turned and scurried off without waiting on an answer. 

__

The phone rang twice before he picked up. “I wasn’t expecting a call from you for another week. Is the director calling us back for another assignment already?” The sound of his voice was like a balm to her wounds. He sounded both tired and happy to hear from her. Well, what passed for happy these days. There was quite a lot riding on his shoulders, and she was about to make it a hell of a lot worse. 

__

“Phil...” She tried not to sound so broken but couldn’t stop the grief from slipping through. 

__

“Melinda, are you okay? What’s wrong? Did something happen back at base?” God, he sounded so soft and so concerned, instantly on high alert from her tone. She practically felt her heart cracking open in her chest. She didn’t want to tell him. Not like this. Not now. Not ever. 

__

She bit the bullet, unable to keep the truth from him. “The news is saying the Watchdogs killed Daisy. Those bastards videotaped the whole damn thing. They – they blew up a building, Phil, and Daisy was still inside. The police found several bodies, they’re claiming one of them is most likely hers. One of her gauntlets were found inside.” She gripped the phone hard enough that she thought it really might snap in half. 

__

The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening and then she heard a sharp intake of breath. “ _No_ -” A scuffling noise and a muffled deeper voice in the background. “No, that can’t be right. They’ve got it wrong. Daisy wasn’t in there. They have to be mistaken.” His voice was pained and hoarse, disbelieving. 

__

May took a steadying breath. “Phil, I need you and Mack to come back to base. We’re taking the Zephyr to L.A. to check everything out for ourselves. We’re going to get our girl back.” 

__

“We’re rerouting our course now. Melinda -” He sounded ragged. 

__

She cut him off. “We’ll talk more when you get here.” She didn’t want to think too much about anything. There was still a chance the news got it wrong. Daisy was resourceful. Incredibly smart and clever when need be. They’d trained her well. May wasn’t going to jump to any conclusions, not until there was more evidence. Not until she saw it with her own eyes. 

__

… 

__

It didn’t take long for Coulson and Mack to show up at the base and pick up the rest of them without the director being any the wiser. It would take him a bit to realize what had happened and by then, he wouldn’t be able to stop them. To hell with him if he did try though. 

__

The mood on the Zephyr was a solemn one as Mack did his best to investigate further about the warehouse explosion while Davis flew the plane. Simmons and Fitz were running possible scenarios and exit routes where Daisy could have made it out alive, trying to reassure themselves and everyone else. Mack sent Elena an alert to be on the lookout for any further reports on Daisy until they could get to California. No one wanted to bring up that it didn’t look good from anyone’s standards. Coulson and May remained silent and withdrawn. Both were so afraid that saying it aloud would make it more real, solid fact and then they’d be forced to accept it. All previous disagreements among the team members concerning Daisy were all but forgotten. The focus had become simply bringing her home safe. Everything else could wait. 

__

May knew immediately from observing Coulson’s defeated countenance that he was blaming himself. She’d followed him down to the cargo hold where he’d obviously needed a moment alone to collect himself. She watched him pace, clearly dwelling on the heartbreaking possibilities of what they might find in L.A. and how it must have been practically eating him alive. Until finally, she could not watch anymore without speaking her mind. As much as she wasn’t one for encouraging words and flimsy platitudes, it cut her up inside to watch him fall into such despair. May wasn’t going to stand by and watch him fall apart, especially when she was so close to slipping off the edge along with him. She’d do her damnedest to pull them both back to safe ground. 

__

“Phil,” she stressed firmly. “This isn’t your fault.” 

__

He turned hollowed, dull eyes on her as he gave a sour upturn of his mouth. “Isn’t it though?” 

__

May clenched her jaw and stepped into his path, halting him. “No, it isn’t,” she rebuked. “Don’t do this to yourself. It won’t help and it won’t change anything.” She only just stopped herself from reaching out to touch his arm. 

__

He sighed heavily. “My mind is running in about a thousand different directions, trying to make sense of all this.” He gestured vaguely with his hand unable to give the situation a proper label. Like there even was one. 

__

“My only conclusion? Daisy should have _never_ been out there on her own. She should have never felt like the only way forward was alone, as if leaving would ever change how we feel about her. She was out there trying to deal with this by herself and now, she might be -” he choked off, unable to go on and looking positively tortured. 

__

In the beginning, May knew Phil had felt responsible for Daisy, like it was his job to look out for her. She had been so young when Phil brought her on board the team and she’d needed that guiding hand to mature into a capable agent and adult. May knows now that time hasn’t changed that as much as she previously thought. It’s been four years and Phil still fights with the dichotomy of emotion that comes with working with a young woman he considers his own kid in all the unconventional and entirely unprofessional ways of a man who has never had any children to call his. 

__

May had long since given up trying to tell him different than how he so obviously felt about Daisy. It would be hypocritical of her to comment on how utterly compromised he was, because when it came to Daisy, she had a strong habit of being no better. The young woman had that way about her – sneaking into people’s hearts and staying forever. 

__

She couldn’t help it, this time she did reach for him. “I agree, she should have never been dealing with this alone, but we’re going to fix that. We’ll show her another way just as you did for me, Phil. You didn’t give up on me back then and we sure as hell aren’t giving up on her now. And we’re going to kick her ass for being so incredibly reckless. Until we know definitively, I refuse to believe the worst.” May felt him tremble under the solid hand she had squeezing his forearm tightly. “I can’t let myself go there, Phil. I won’t.” She hated the way her voice cracked and the weakness that came with loving someone so much that they became a part of you. So, losing them felt like also losing a piece of yourself too. 

__

“You’re right,” he sighed. “This is Daisy we're talking about. She always finds a way out of tight spots.” His tone left a lot to be desired but at least he was trying now. Something was definitely out of sorts if May had to be the optimistic one. 

__

“We’ll find her,” May swore, not elaborating on what condition they might find Daisy in. They needed to find her okay. There was no other possibility that May would consider. 

...

“Damn it,” Daisy grumbled out between clenched teeth, trying feebly to patch up the burn wound on her arm and failing wonderfully. 

__

“Do you need a hand with that?” Robbie offered from his place leaning up against the side of his car and looking entirely too relaxed for someone who was just in an explosion. 

__

“I’m good, thanks,” she snapped quickly, the pain making her sarcastic and stubborn. When her fingers fumbled and she swore again more loudly, Robbie sighed and shook his head. 

__

“Watching you is causing _me_ pain. Let me help you before you make it worse by tearing more of your skin off or something,” Robbie insisted firmly with a roll of his shoulders, striding over. 

__

“Fine, whatever gets me back out there.” Daisy surrendered her arm to Robbie and looked away while he finished patching her up. 

__

“I don’t mean to point out the obvious here, but I did just pull you from a burning building less than three hours ago. You have some serious wounds to take care of, not to mention you were unconscious for a good twenty minutes after your head connected solidly with a falling beam. You’re lucky to be alive. I think the world could do without you for at least 48 hours while you take a breather,” Robbie said, despite his words, very pointedly. 

__

“I heal quickly, I’ll be fine,” Daisy refuted, grimacing even as she said it when the movement of her head caused her vision to darken dangerously around the edges and a stab of pain to lance through her skull. 

__

“You’re welcome, by the way,” Robbie added, taking silent note of the obvious pain she was in and being caught between vague amusement and irritation at her bull-headedness. Now, he saw why Gabe always got so pissed at him. 

__

“Thanks,” Daisy muttered quietly, mood quickly turning solemn and sour as she considered what almost happened. Would it have been so bad to go out like that? Then she’d be nobody’s burden to bear anymore. She’d finally get what she deserved. 

__

Robbie took a moment to study her after he was done bandaging her arm, watching while she attempted to pull her leather jacket back on before grunting in pain and just tying it around her waist loosely instead. 

__

“This isn’t my business or anything, but do you have some sort of death wish?” 

__

Daisy gave him a sharp look. “What do you mean?” 

__

Robbie rolled his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. “I mean, taking on all those Watchdogs by yourself.” When her expression instantly darkened, he added. “Relax, that’s not a sexist jab and I’m not attacking your capability. I’m making a simple observation that you’re reckless, specifically with your own life.” 

“You’re right, it’s none of your damn business. Keep your observations to yourself. I don’t need your help or your judgement.” Her tone was cool, and her eyes were like steel, so he decided to drop it. Fighting with her solved nothing. 

Robbie shrugged and went to turn on the tiny television on the moving cart by the toolbox. It was always good for drowning out any awkward silences. Daisy could do whatever she wanted, but his stomach was growling, and he needed food. Heading to the mini fridge in the back room, he left her brooding on the work bench. 

When he returned sandwich in hand, he stopped short at the sight of her standing rigid in front of the television. He saw that the local news station was covering the warehouse explosion that nearly killed her. Daisy was trembling and the workshop was almost shaking along with her. She was clearly upset, but he couldn’t figure out what exactly had set her off. Was it the sight of near death? Was it seeing the brutal deaths of those who tried to kill her? 

“What is it?” he asked as gently as he could around a mouthful of sandwich. 

Her eyes never left the screen. “The official reports are trying to say I was killed in the explosion,” she said numbly. 

“Okay…” Robbie left the unspoken question hanging in the air. He saw her face, the guilt and terror in it. 

“– I don’t –” she stammered complexion pale and pained as she cradled her hurt arm closer. For a striking second, Daisy looked incredibly young. 

The dots suddenly connected for Robbie as he guessed at what she didn’t say. “You have some people out there who are going to see that and think the worst?” His mind automatically went to Gabe and all the times he scared the hell out of his brother. 

Her dark eyes flicked toward him in surprise. “Yeah,” is all she said distractedly, her mind lost in a world of thoughts. 

“You got some way to let them know you’re alright?” 

Daisy gravitated toward the door before she realized she’d moved. All she could think about was going home even if it was only long enough to glimpse her friends – no – her family. Even if they didn’t want to see her and she couldn’t stay. She needed to see them. “I have to go. Thanks Robbie.” She didn’t answer his question, but he had a feeling of where she might be going. 

“Take care of yourself, Daisy,” he said to her back just as she went through the door. Her looking after herself would be thanks enough. He did have a gut feeling that he’ll be seeing her again soon. 

... 

Daisy went to the crappy apartment she’d been renting, having chickened out about going back to base and felt the guilt and shame begin to overwhelm her. It’d been hours, she should have reached out to Elena, somehow passed along to the others that she’s okay. So, she did the only thing that she could think to draw their attention enough to come to her. She sent out a fake Watchdog alert to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, hoping they would respond to it. 

She went to the coordinates that she dropped – some random secluded back alley nothing in the warehouse district. Daisy waited for what felt like hours and agonized over what she’d say when she did see them. A distant noise down the back of the street caught her attention and when she turned the blind corner, it was just in time to parry the swinging sucker punch from a very familiar figure in dark clothing who never carried a gun apparently unless she needed one. 

“Whoa! It’s me,” she rushed out, eyes wide and readying herself to defend against another attack just in case. 

“ _Daisy_ –” May started in shock, immediately dropping her hands. 

Daisy slumped against the wall, nodding her head and breathing heavy. “Hey, guys.” She greeted lightly, seeing Coulson just beyond May and she stopped short, sobering immediately at his facial expression. The guilt returned ten-fold. He looked like he’d aged years since she saw him just a few short months ago. 

It hurt to look at both of them, but Daisy couldn’t not look because they were easily the best thing she’d ever seen and suddenly her heart felt like it was about to burst in her chest. She didn’t know what to say but thankfully they both spoke first, over the top of each other. 

“Daisy, what the hell?” May growled, but her eyes were wide and terrified, something Daisy’s never seen so openly from her. 

Coulson cut across May’s question with one of his own, gaze zeroed in on her and cataloguing every part he could see, “Are you okay? We thought –” He stepped past May, not finishing and coming to Daisy’s side in an instant when he noticed the bandaged arm and the black and blue bruise sprouting at her temple. He frowned and reached out as if to touch her head before he caught himself. 

She could tell that he wanted to pull her into his arms, but he was also doing his best to respect her wishes for space. It also looked like the distance was killing him and that killed her, so she moved first and practically crashed into him, burying her face in his jacket. Daisy almost sobbed when she felt him fiercely return the embrace, his hand going to cup the back of her head. 

“I’m sorry,” Daisy gasped breathlessly into his collar, arms clinging like tentacles. 

Coulson's hold tightened further until she could scarcely breathe, but she didn’t even mind because it just felt good to be held. “I know, shh, it’s alright,” he muttered against her head, his breath fluttering a few strands of her hair. 

Once she had calmed, Coulson pulled back enough to study the wound on her forehead with a furrowed brow, May spoke. “What happened at the warehouse, Daisy? News reports were trying to say you were dead.” There was heat and what might be tinges of grief in her voice. 

Daisy swallowed a wince when Coulson’s fingers probed a tender spot. “The Watchdogs cornered me. I didn’t realize it was a trap until those sons of a bitches corralled me inside the building. If Robbie hadn’t shown when he did, I would have probably been killed. I was lucky he’s fireproof.” 

“Who’s Robbie?” May asked at the same time Coulson echoed, “Fireproof?” 

“…A guy I met while fighting Watchdogs.” She bit her lip. “Not sure if you’ve heard of him but he’s kind of a legend around here. They call him Ghost Rider. Word on the street is he’s some sort of vengeance demon that punishes evil or whatever. He’s got a flaming skull for a head, kind of a bit unnerving really.” 

Coulson’s blue eyes were wide, and he momentarily paused his examination. “No way. That sounds like a guy that used to be on the powered index. Never met the guy but the whole flaming head vibe, not gonna lie, that’s really cool. Something that stands out, you know?” 

Daisy stifled a small smile, having missed his dorkiness. “Of course, you’d know a guy like him.” She paused, face scrunched up, realizing the implication. “Wait, there’s more than one Ghost Rider?” 

He smirked, dropping his hands from her head. “I’m not sure, but the one I knew wasn’t Robbie. His name was Johnny Blaze. Which is kind of ironic if you think about it.” Daisy’s mouth formed an ‘o’ of surprise and for just a brief second, things felt normal. She realized belatedly he was intentionally trying to put her at ease. 

“So, this guy Robbie saved you?” May repeated to confirm and bring them back on track. 

“Yeah, he did. I’d have been toast...literally, otherwise.” Daisy didn’t sound too upset about that which May and Coulson caught onto immediately. A subject that they didn’t know how to broach without causing her to close off from them. 

“And you’re sure you’re okay?” Coulson asked again. 

“I’ll live,” Daisy answered lowly and didn’t understand the unimpressed look that she was getting from May and the frown that creased Coulson’s face further. 

“You could sound more like that’s a good thing,” May said, lips thinning in displeasure. “We thought you were dead, Daisy. Do you have any idea –” 

“Yes, I do actually.” Daisy clenched her jaw, eyes burning. “I never meant for you guys to get roped back into my burden of a life. The last thing I wanted was to cause you more pain.” Tears threatened to fall and she angrily swiped at them. “God, I’m such a freakin’ screw up.” 

Coulson shook his head and put his hand on her arm. “Hey, no you’re not. Nor is any part of your life a burden. We care about you, Daisy. That’s why we’re here.” 

This was too much. All of this was too much for Daisy. “But I left. You were supposed to stop caring and forget about me.” She stepped back away from him. 

“That’s not how family works,” May intoned firmly before Coulson could. 

Coulson added. “We’re always going to be here for you, Daisy. That’s never going to change. Family doesn’t quit on you.” 

She was starting to shake again. “Why would you want to be connected to me? Death follows me everywhere. I’m just going to end up getting you all killed. You’re better off without me.” 

“That why you left?” Coulson wondered nonchalantly. “To protect us?” 

Daisy shot him a disbelieving look. “Of course, I did.” Did they not get it? 

“You don’t get to decide who’s better off without you,” May said. “That’s not your call.” 

“We’d never choose to leave you, Daisy,” Coulson said softly, suddenly understanding what the true fear driving her was and he moved back into her space intentionally. “We’d never leave you. Do you hear me? Never.” 

Her face crumpled. “You - you can’t promise that.” She sniffled and wiped at her face. “Everybody leaves me. It’s inevitable. Whether it’s by choice or not. It’s always me that gets left behind. And I’m just so sick of it. Why couldn’t Lincoln just let me be the one to die? That’s how it was supposed to be. I’d accepted it even and then he just went and took my place. And I don’t know how to deal with that. I’m tired of people dying for me.” 

There wasn’t a response that could fully satisfy her desperate plea. Nothing that wasn’t a lie anyway, and May and Coulson would never lie to her. They wouldn’t offer platitudes or patronizing remarks. She mattered too much to them for that. 

“Do you really think it would have been better if it had been you who died?” May inquired in that way of hers that meant she was taking this somewhere. 

Daisy found it difficult to meet her gaze. “After everything that happened with – Hive and… Lash, and my mom before that it seemed fitting that it’d be me. Like fate or karma or retribution or something.” She scuffed her boot along the concrete. “It felt easier to decide it was me who should make the sacrifice. Better than imagining anyone else instead.” 

“I know all about wanting to make the choice to walk away before I can watch someone I love do it first. It gives an illusion of control,” May said, eyes distant like she was thinking about something else. “But that’s all it is, Daisy. An illusion. The truth is far more painful. People die and people leave us. Sometimes we leave them. That’s life. We take what we can get and we fight tooth and nail to keep it. We treasure those we love while they’re with us and we honor them when they’re gone. Sacrifice should never be taken lightly by the ones who die nor the ones left behind.” 

May waited until Daisy looked over at her before adding. “And if you ever get the choice between life and death, think long and hard about your motivation behind the one you’re about to choose. Better make sure it’s a damn good reason and not just selfishness or martyrdom.” It was advice from personal experience, not a reprimand. 

Daisy considered her recent actions and was brought up short. Had she really been selfish? Fighting the Watchdogs on her own. Demanding that the Ghost Rider end her. Pushing her body to its physical limits and not taking the time to heal properly. Admittedly her actions seemed more than a little reckless in hindsight now. “Damn, I’ve been incredibly stupid, haven’t I?” 

“Reckless definitely but not stupid,” Coulson said honestly, internally grateful they were finally having this conversation. “You needed a break from everything and time to heal and we’d never have begrudged you that. Even if you decided to leave SHIELD for good, that decision would have been respected. It was the running off on your own to fight Watchdogs part that we disagreed with and it nearly got you killed.” 

There was a sliver of brokenness that slipped through his calm expression and just about snapped her heart in two. It hurt to look directly at him. She’d hurt this man she considered to be the closest thing she had to a father. May too was like the mother she’d always wanted even if they were possibly unaware of how Daisy saw them. 

“I am so sorry, Coulson,” she uttered, face pinched in shame and her eyes slid to May. “It didn’t even occur to me what it’d do to you guys if – if something happened to me. And then for you to have to see it on the news. Geez, I’m such a dumbass.” 

Coulson shook his head. “No, you’re smart and capable of so much more than you think. You have so much value, not just to the world or those who love you but as a person. Please, don’t throw that away. Look after yourself and whenever it’s in your power, _please_ come home safe, Sk-Daisy.” It was an echo of what he’d told her many times before. She wasn’t sure if he meant for it to come off more like a dad speech than as a boss, but he managed it.

He hadn’t slipped up and called her the wrong name in a long time. It was yet another hint that what had almost happened had shaken him up more than he cared to let on. It still shocked her at times that she mattered so much to both of them. 

__

“And if you ever pull a stunt like this again, _I will_ kick your ass into next week,” May promised, equal parts affection and threat. 

“There’s that too,” Coulson agreed, a small smirk pulling at the edges of his mouth. “My hair is already graying, I don’t need any help with that, thank you very much.” An attempt to lighten the serious mood. 

____

“I’m sorry, I haven’t been making things easy on you,” Daisy said, looking between them. “Either of you.” She wasn’t ready to let herself off the hook yet. 

____

Coulson shrugged. “We didn’t sign up for easy.” 

Daisy gave him a look very reminiscent of May. “Chasing me around the U.S. for the past 6 months couldn’t have been a cake walk. I know you’re the reason there wasn’t a kill order on my head already. How’d you manage to keep the new director off my back for so long?” 

“With my charm and wit, obviously,” Coulson responded good-naturedly. 

May pursed her lips. “More like we convinced him you were a valuable asset that would work better as an ally rather than an enemy. Mace isn’t stupid though, I think he knew that whatever he decided to do about you would drastically affect his relationship with the rest of us. Threatening you would have only made his job harder and he definitely didn’t want that.” 

“You volunteered to look for me?” Daisy asked Coulson, touched by May's words. 

____

He nodded. “Mack too. May stayed behind to keep an eye on things back at base.” 

____

Daisy couldn’t stop the smile that came to her lips. “May was your informant? How’d that work exactly?” 

____

“Mace trusted me to be more…levelheaded about you and it was hell convincing him Coulson was the best person to find you when it was obvious to anyone with eyes what you meant to him,” May conceded. 

____

“Like you’re any better than me,” Coulson argued, but his eyes were bright. 

____

May’s mouth upturned and her expression softened. “He didn’t need to know that. Besides, you wear your heart on your sleeve. At least one of us should be decent at subterfuge.” Coulson shrugged, unrepentant. 

____

Daisy felt her insides flood with warmth and gratitude for the people she had in her life. “Thank you for looking out for me,” she said sincerely. _Even when I didn’t deserve it_ , she thought. 

____

“Of course,” Coulson responded. 

____

“Always,” May promised. 

____

Daisy shuffled her feet and looked at the ground, biting her lip. “Do the others know I’m okay?” 

____

“Not yet. I think it’d help if they could see you. The whole team came with us, no one wanted to be left behind. Especially Simmons, she was the first to see the news report,” May said, keeping her voice neutral. “She was really shaken up.” The added _we all were_ was silent. 

_____ _

Daisy seemed hesitant so Coulson said gently. “We’re not trying to push you to come back before you’re ready, Daisy. But if you could at least say hi and let them know you're okay, that'd be nice. If you’d also allow Simmons to check you over, it would ease my mind.” 

_____ _

“I don’t need a checkup, Coulson. I’m fine,” Daisy rebuffed, the habitual need to dig her heels in surfacing. 

_____ _

May glared and folded her arms across her chest. “What about your arm and your head? And whatever other injuries you might be hiding.” 

_____ _

“Humor us, Daisy, please,” Coulson requested. 

_____ _

She deflated, not having the energy to argue further. “Alright, I'll see the others and get checked out.” She wasn’t ready to come back though. There were still some things she had to do. 

_____ _

“That’s all we ask,” he responded, but his demeanor was relieved. Coulson thought he was going to have to fight her on it. She really had no idea how greatly it would release the tension to be reassured of her wellbeing, especially after the day he’d had. 

_____ _

His blue eyes searched her face. “I really am glad you’re safe.” She looked like she was going to cry again and reached out to grab his hand, squeezing hard. 

_____ _

All Daisy really wanted to do was throw her arms around him again and never let go, but she knew if she did, then she would never want to leave. So, she squared her shoulders and steeled herself. “I’m ready to go when you are.” 

_____ _

May seemed to sense her internal struggle but did not comment. She couldn’t stop herself from brushing her fingers along the leather jacket tied around Daisy’s waist as she passed, letting the subtle contact be enough, at least for now. May didn’t want to freak the girl out by pulling her into a hug, not knowing if it would only make things more difficult. If Daisy was skittish, the last thing she wanted was to make it worse. 

_____ _

“The Zephyr is back this way,” May said, her mouth going dry at the thought of the inevitability of Daisy leaving again. No matter what she thought, she would always be a needed touchstone in their lives. May knew that if Daisy didn’t know that already, she would soon enough. She and Coulson would make sure of it. 

_____ _

Daisy's eyebrows furrowed. “Did you park the plane on a rooftop or something?” she inquired as they walked. 

_____ _

“We were in a hurry, what did you expect?” Coulson responded lightly and May rolled her eyes. 

...

_END_


End file.
